US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with ABC that the Houthi attacks against Israel are not only a threat to Israel but to the many countries over which the Houthis are firing, particularly along the Red Sea shipping lane.
"We’re trying to do everything we can to ensure that civilians are protected. There’s a gap between the intent and the results," he commented. "This could be over tomorrow. This could be over tomorrow. If Hamas got out of the way of civilians, instead of hiding behind them, if it put down its weapons if it surrendered."
Regarding the future of the Gaza Strip, he said: "Israel will decide when to move to the next phase of the war. We all want this to be over quickly. When the military phase is over, we will need to calm things down in a way that will lead to a Palestinian state."
CNN reports that Blinken told Israel's War Cabinet: "We cannot have a repeat of what happened in the north in the south in terms of harm being done to civilians. What we’re seeing is areas clearly designated by Israel that are safe areas, where there’s not going to be firing or the military. We’ve seen efforts to make sure that people know that they need to move – and not in the entire city, but just in discrete neighborhoods. That's positive."